Designed for Life

This year's best new products blend beauty with cutting-edge technology—and make surprising advancements in the way we live

Oct. 25, 2012 2:58 p.m. ET

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Lytro Camera
F. Martin Ramin

Lytro Camera

The periscope-shaped Lytro marks a great leap forward for the lowly point-and-shoot. While digital cameras focus on only a single plane with each click of the shutter, Lytro's patented technology captures the complete field of light—mimicking the effect of many lenses clicking at once. That means you can focus your pictures after you've taken them. With a single button and touch-screen to scroll through photos, the design is elegant and easy to use. The future of photography looks crystal clear. From $399

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Nest Learning Thermostat
F. Martin Ramin

Nest Learning Thermostat

With its sleek exterior, the Nest has as much in common with an ordinary thermostat as an iPhone 5 does with a Walkman. So it comes as no surprise that this WiFi-enabled device was dreamed up by Tony Fadell, a former top designer for Apple. The Nest is hungry to learn your habits: After only a week of setting it manually, it begins to automatically adjust the temperature to save energy and suit your daily routine. you'll never return from a ski trip to a cold house again. $249

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Nike+ Fuelband
F. Martin Ramin

Nike+ Fuelband

Everyone knows that regular exercise is its own reward. But when you don't have time for the gym, does an afternoon spent hoeing the garden count as a workout? Nike+ FuelBand takes the guesswork out of analyzing your active (or inactive) lifestyle. Worn discreetly on the wrist, the device tracks your movements 24 hours a day and tallies units of "NikeFuel," whether you're walking the dog or tearing it up on the treadmill. Use the FuelBand app to set daily goals, score your monthly activities—and motivate yourself to take the stairs instead of the elevator. $149

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Makerbot Replicator 2
Courtesy of Makerbot

Makerbot Replicator 2

3-D printing, invented more than a quarter century ago, has been used to create everything from bikinis to monkey wrenches. But until now, the technology for fabricating actual items from digital models has been prohibitively expensive. With the newest version of its Replicator, MakerBot has created a relatively affordable, compact printer that produces objects up to 410 cubic inches in size from one of thousands of models on file—or from your own designs. Print your own custom chess pieces, a new doorknob or any little thingamabob you desire. From $2,199

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Tesla Model S
Courtesy of Tesla

Tesla Model S

At last, an automobile forever banishes the notion that electric cars need be unsexy. With zero emissions, this elegantly designed luxury sedan can travel 265 miles on a single charge, nearly four times farther than any of its rivals. Its extraordinary range hasn't sacrificed power—0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds—and it also boasts advancements like an all-glass panoramic roof and a 17-inch touch-screen dashboard. After its spring arrival, at least one ecstatic review suggested it could be the most important car of the century. From $57,400

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Hövding Helmet
Courtesy of Hövding

Hövding Helmet

The urban cycling boom has inspired many safety innovations, but even with the exponential growth of bike lanes, one aspect of city peddling—the helmet—has remained stuck in the ungainly past, until now. Swedish industrial designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin have created an inflatable alternative. Like some futuristic-looking scarf, the Hövding "invisible" helmet sits on the rider's neck until it senses a collision, when it fills with air in a tenth of a second, surrounding and cushioning the head before impact. Leave it to the design-savvy Scandinavians to make a helmet so stylish no one will even know you're wearing one. $609

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